Merchants warn meat industries apply 18% ITBIS to hams

The commerce organized in the Dominican Federation of Traders (FDC) warns that the meat industry sector informed them that hams and other sausages are taxed at a rate of 18% ITBIS since Monday, the 4th of this month, at the request of the DGII.

Ivan Garcia, president of the FDC, reported that yesterday, the country’s meat companies began applying ITBIS to hams and boneless chops (boneless meat), as approved by Law 253-12 in the first government of Danilo Medina.

In the two governments of Danilo Medina, ITBIS was not applied to these products because it was an unpopular measure. Two years ago, in the current DGII, they implemented the collection of ITBIS on these products. He explained that by President Luis Abinader’s intervention, they stopped applying ITBIS to these products at our request.

He said that now, with the withdrawal of the Tax Reform bill in the DGII, they are applying the articles of the law passed in 2012.

“We have to explain to our clients that the increase in prices of these articles is because of the ITBIS that the DGII started to apply,” he indicated.

A communication sent to merchants indicates that all locally produced ham and cold-cut products will be subject to ITBIS.